Land vehicle



\ L. H. THOEN LAND VEHICLE Filed Oct. 10, 1927 Sept. 8, 1931'.

INVENTOR BYon/e 77706/7 M,

Patented sept. s, 1931 UNITED STATES,

LOWELL n. fronN, or sTocx'ro. cmrormm, AssIGNoR, BY anism: ASSIGNMENTS,

PATENT OFFICE y TO CATERPIIJAR TRACTORCO., OF SAN LEANDRO, CALIFORNIA, ACORPORATION 0F CALIFORNIA A1.41m vEnIcnE applicati@ mea octoaer 1o,1927. semi in. 225,108.

My invention relates to a supporting and draft gear primarily adaptedfor use in harvesting machinery. Y 0

An ob'ect of my invention is to provide a l`. front en constructionwhich,while utilizing two front supporting wheels, has the effect of asingle front wheel as 'regards flexibility.

Another object of my invention is to provide a front end constructionutilizing two front wheels which are dirigible and which are steered bythe draft mechanism.

A further object of my invention is to provide a front end constructionwhich is simple and light but nevertheless' is' amply strong.

My invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which withthe foreoing will be set forth at length in the f ollowing descriptionwhere I shall outline in full that form of the front end construction ofmy invention, which I have selectedvforillustration in the drawingsaccompanying and forming part of the present specification. In saiddrawings I have shown one form of front end construction embodying myinvention, but it is to be understood that I do not limit m self to suchform since the invention, as set orth in the claim, may be embodied in aplurality of forms.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan of the construction of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section of my construction,` the plane of section beingindicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In its preferred form, the front end construction of my inventionpreferably comprises a frame having a beam projecting therefrom on`which dirigible wheels are mounted, the wheels being arranged tooscillate about the axis of the beam and also being steered by movementof a, draft mechanism attached to advance the frame.

Harvesting machines have in most instances to be propelled over roughground and it is desirable to have a three point suspension for themajor portion of the mechanism in order that it may accommodate itselfto the unevenness of the round and so that excessive strains andtwisting stresses are obviated. To this end it is customary fto employ apair of rear wheels with a single front wheel on such machines but Ihave found it desirable in a number of instances to utilize more thanone front wheel. My invention makes it possible to obtain the benefitsof a `three point suspension at the fsame time' utilizing more than diiefront wheel. f A

Asdisclosed in the drawings, the mechanism that is to be pro elled, ofWhatever kind, is preferably provided with a. frame 6 which ordinarilyis composed of apair of channels 7 and 8 tied together at intervals bycross members 9 and usually at the forward end by a pair of cross angles11 supporting a transverse plate' 12. The width of the frame 6 isordinarily made equal to the desired width of the supported mechanism.Along the central longitudinal axis of the frame I dispose a beam 13which is conveniently a tube or pipe of relatively large diameter. Thisform of beam is quite strong -for its weight, and aids in minimizing thetotal weight of the construction. The beam 13 is preferably at its rearend rotatably mounted in a journal box 14 secured to the cross member 9and is cnstrained from axial translation by collars 16 and 17 secured toit Aand abutting the sides of the journal box. The plate 12 is aperturedto permit the passage of the beam 13 and, if desired, a second journalcan be provided at this point although it is not utilized in all cases.

At the forward end of beam 13, I preferably dispose an axle 18 whichextends transversely and is parallel to the cross member 9'and the plate12. This axle is of the usual I section and is centrally provided with amuil' 19 surrounding the beam 13. In the illustrated construction, themuff and axle are secured to the beam by a through bolt 21 and also areconfined by a collar 22. With this construction, any transverseoscillation of the axle 18 merely causes the beam 13 to rotate in itsjournal 14 so that any weaving or undiilations of the axle due to theunevenness in the ground are not transmitted to the frame. In anotherconstruction I` can in the beam to the journal box 14 so that it 1s notrotatable therein and omit the pin 21- so that the muif 19 can rotateabout the beam .spindles 24 passing thru journals 26 preferably formedintegrally with the axle 18. The upper ends of the spindles 24 carrysteering arms 27 which are joined by a tie rod 28 in the customaryfashion while 011 one of the arms 27 there is provided an extension 29actuated by a drag link 31. Axial translation of the drag link causesthe two wheels 23 to be steered in such amounts that the vehicle isproperly directed.- The tread of the wheels is preferably about equal toor somewhat less than the selected width of the frame 6 so that theforward projection of beam 13 allows ample room for the wheels to turnin steering without interfering in any manner with the mechanism mountedupon the frame. It is of course possible to have the tread of the wheelsgreater than the width of the frame but in that-event it is notnecessary to have the beam 13 project very far forwardly.

Draft means are provided for advancing the frame 6 and are also utilizedto direct the dirigible wheels. At the forward end ofthe beam 13 Ipreferably provide a tongue which comprises a yoke 32 attached by meansof a pivot pin` 33 and pierced to receive one end of the drag link 3l sothat movement of the yoke about the pivot pin 33 is transmitted to thesteering linkage. The forward end of the yoke carries a transverse pin34 to which is connected a body 36 comprised in the tongue and to whichthe draft mechanism can be attached. The body 36 forms a draftconnection which is applicable toa tractor or to draft animals. Asindicated by the broken lines in the figures, a 'pole 37 can be boltedto the tongue 36, for alternatively the draft eye of a tractor can besecured by a bolt 38 passing thru the tongue. Since the axes of thebolts 33 and 34 are at right angles, the tongue is universally movablewith respect to the frame 6 and its relavtive movementwith respect tothe beam is effective to steer the wheels 23.

With my construction, I obtain the same steering eect as with a singlewheel and obtain the`s'ame three point suspension as far as ileibilityis concerned due to the relative rota on between the axle 18 and theframe 6 but at the same time provide a two wheel front support whichdistributes -the load of the mechanism over spaced points of the groundand permits shorter turns of the tlng.

I claim:

A land vehicle construction 'comprising a frame, a journal secured tosaid frame, a

rotatable cylindrical beam mounted in said -beam for pivoting saidWheels relative to said axle said steering linkage including steeringarms on said spindles, a tie rod connecting said steering arms and adrag link connectin one of said arms and said yoke.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

LOWELL H. THOEN.

ehicle to be made without danger of upseti

